SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Offices of Santa Barbara and San Diego Counties, has initiated a Consumer Protection lawsuit against Carquest Auto Parts. The lawsuit alleges that Carquest Auto Parts consistently violated California’s Consumer Protection Laws through unfair business practices and deceptive advertising. Specifically, the complaint asserts that Carquest Auto Parts frequently charged customers at the cash register more than the prices displayed on store shelves.

To ensure the accuracy of advertised prices in retail establishments, county weights and measures divisions in California conduct regular price accuracy inspections. These inspections, spanning from 2017 to 2021, unveiled that Carquest Auto Parts overcharged an average of 12 percent of the inspected items. In July 2023, inspections across 43 company-owned stores in 20 California counties revealed that a staggering 91 percent of the stores failed their inspections. Furthermore, 23 percent of items purchased by inspectors were charged higher prices at the register than the advertised rates. This discrepancy was observed across multiple stores, indicating a systemic issue in Carquest Auto Parts’ pricing procedures statewide.

The lawsuit seeks compliance from Carquest and its associated entities with California’s Consumer Protection Laws, a court-issued injunction mandating adherence to these laws, and the imposition of civil penalties.